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After the second year, prune the lateral branches on your passionfruit once a year in late winter or early spring. Cut back one or two of the main stems to about one third of their length and trim the laterals, cutting out some of the denser growth completely. This allows better air circulation and fruit development in the following season. Vines eventually become straggly and non-productive and need to be replaced once every five years.

General tips for pruning passionfruit

• Encourage growth by pinching out the top buds to promote side shoots. Growth should be from the graft section of the vine, not the rootstock.

• Clear all dead flowers and leaves. Thin the congested growth, aiming for a balanced arrangement of main branches. Remove any weak or spindly stems, then shorten sideshoots almost to their base.

• You may need to cut out one or two older branches to allow replacement with young, more vigorous shoots. Sort the prunings for potential cuttings before discarding them.

• Finally, check the plant is symmetrical and well shaped, with plenty of light reaching all the stems.

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1 Comments

sally on 20 February 2013 ,22:35

I really enjoy reading all the articles. Keep in up.

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